Photo credit: M Mitchell/IFPRI
Shocks, whether man-made or natural in origin, are a fact of life for citizens of both the developed and developing world. Building resilience in the face of growing threats such as extreme weather events, rising and highly volatile food prices, and the effects of global climate change is more important than ever. If we are to end hunger, sustainably, in our lifetimes- a goal we can and must strive for- resilience will play a key role.
In his welcome remarks for the Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan noted that “a resilience approach has the potential to improve livelihoods and support economic growth and transformation while mitigating future shocks. In fact, it can help us tackle issues that run across the entire agriculture, food, nutrition and environmental system.”
The discussion on resilience is timely, because, “if the past is any guide, we will face a barrage of shocks, both natural and man-made, in the coming years.” The world will need to discover ways to cope, and perhaps thrive in, the presence of such shocks and to promote a spirit of cooperation and collaboration in the face of disasters that, as Fan noted, “know no borders.”
